Blending action and humor, the film marked his first lighter role, which he described as adventurous and fun, akin to Romancing the Stone (1984).

Despite initial skepticism from Cannon's chairman, Norris leveraged his box office draw and took the risk, trusting audience reception to guide his future projects.

Firewalker received mixed to negative reviews, with critics frequently comparing it unfavorably to his contemporary adventure films.

While some praised its lighthearted tone, blend of action, humor, along with its entertaining, easygoing nature and Norris’s attempt at comedy, others felt it had a derivative plot, wooden performances, and lackluster production values.

Max Donigan and Leo Porter are two seasoned treasure hunters whose adventures rarely result in any notable success.

After their latest stint gone wrong, they are recruited by a seemingly psychic woman, Patricia Goodwin, owner of a treasure map.

He tells them that the Firewalker was a powerful being that flew away to walk in the fires of the sun and gives Patricia a small bag of "magic" to protect her.

A chanting Tall Eagle causes Patricia to suddenly wake and rush to Max's defense; she and Leo stop the woman from succeeding.

They are found in the morning by a friend of Max's: Corky Taylor, leader of a small group of Central American freedom fighters, who provides them with a vehicle to finish their journey.

When they stop that night, Leo disappears; Patricia and Max believe him dead when they find blood and his glasses by the alligator-infested river.

Patricia then sprinkles the magic bag on El Coyote's body; he bursts into flame as they leave the temple with the gold and the trio reap the rewards of their successful journey.

[12] Siskel said Firewalker was "one of the most derivative films in years, splicing elements of Raiders of the Lost Ark with Romancing the Stone."

In his print review, Ebert gave Firewalker 1 star out of 4 wrote "the movie is a free-form anthology of familiar images from the works of Steven Spielberg, subjected to a new process that we could call discolorization...(the film) lacked the style, witty dialogue and magic of the current adventure movies, as it borrowed its closing images from the Indiana Jones films, but its press notes optimistically claim the picture is "in the tradition" of Romancing the Stone.

[13] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times, enjoyed it he explained "Firewalker isn't as elaborate or sophisticated as the Spielberg-Lucas hit, it is fun, and Norris is loosened up and laid back."

His final thought was that it is "handsomely filmed in Mexico by Alex Phillips, Firewalker seems to have brought out the best in everyone on either side of the camera.

"[14] Vincent Canby of The New York Times called the film "a bargain-basement imitation of such movies as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Romancing the Stone, et al".

TV Guide published a largely negative review, criticizing Norris's "usual wooden" performance, the "appalling" production values and the "flat, uninteresting" writing.

The publication also noted Firewalker heavily "borrowing" elements from other, more successful adventure movies, calling it "a retooling of Raiders of the Lost Ark as a buddy picture".

"[17] A review in Variety said, "Chuck Norris' latest outing for Cannon suffers from boilerplate scripting which sabotages what should have been a compelling buddy pic; not even the estimable Lou Gossett can save this one.

"[18] Ed Severson of the Arizona Star called it "an entertaining turkey" and if you were after "a light weight action flick you'll get your money worth."

"[19] Film historian Leonard Maltin seemed to agree, citing the picture as a "BOMB" and noting that "If Melody Anderson's hair (which remains perfectly intact throughout) and Sonny Landham's eyepatch (which keeps switching eyes) aren't a sign of anything, the movie's own press release described Chuck Norris's character as 'a soldier of outrageous misfortune'.

Moreover, on the comedy-relief front, Norris brings to mind a now-famous description of Yogi Berra playing third base: 'Like a man pitching a pup-tent during a hurricane.'

"[20] In a review written by Rita Kempley of The Washington Post, Norris was described as pleasant galoot that lacked Arnold Schwarzenegger's (a more popular and successful action star) sense of self parody and comic timing.

Kempley felt "the fight scenes were fine, but they only emphasize the plodding pace and the moldy plot; a blend of Poltergeist II, Temple of Doom and Romancing the Stone".